Neglect

I have SO neglected my blog. Writing is something that is never easy for me, and time is short. You can find a lot of my new articles on my Examiner page here...

Denver Low Carb Examiner

My little ducks have been keeping me quite busy. I raised 3 Welsh Harlequins to go along with my runner, rouen drake, and the buff/kahki mix I hatched out myself. We should have full egg production by fall.




They are so cute when they are little, but they grow up so fast. Here they are now...

Shelley


Wendy


Bebe

I have also been working on their pond. I am using natural filtration and trying to get more plants in the system. When I am done tinkering, I will post photos of that too.

I am still low carbing with my occasion book-club related transgressions. My weight actually went up a few pounds over the holiday, but my measurements stayed the same. Weird! My blood pressure is still fantastic and a constant reminder that low carb is the right thing to do and the tasty way to do it :D

Chicken and Egg Drop Soup

I went out to eat with a girlfriend of mine the other day. She had moved out of state but was in the area and wanted to eat at her favorite Chinese restaurant. We used to eat there on a regular basis years ago, and I thought I if I left out the rice and skipped the egg roll, I should be able to find something tasty to eat. Instead I ended up with a serious stomach ache. Everything was so loaded with corn starch and tasted so sweet there was no way I could enjoy the food. My old favorite, egg drop soup, was particularly vile, consisting of copious amounts of salt and thickener with very little chicken or egg flavor. It inspired me to make my own heartier version that included actual chicken meat and plenty of eggs. I hope you like it as much as I do.

This recipe reheats well for a quick lunch at work.

Wifezilla's Low Carb Chicken & Egg Drop Soup

Ingredients:
1 chicken breast
3.5 oz package of Shitake mushrooms, chopped
5 jumbo eggs
4 green onions, chopped
1/2 package of fresh sugar snap peas, cut in 3rds (about 1 cup)
2 16oz boxes of Chicken Broth or homemade chicken bone broth
Chicken bullion, pepper and garlic powder to taste
Butter (for cooking the mushrooms. About 1 Tbsp) and some oil for frying up the chicken

Directions: Fry up the chicken in large soup pot over medium heat in enough oil to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When it is done, cover with chicken broth and let it simmer until the meat easily comes off the bone. Debone chicken and add meat back in to the stock. Add water until you get just under 2 quarts of liquid. While chicken is cooking, cook chopped mushrooms in butter in a separate pan. Add mushroom, green onions, and sliced peas to the stock and bring to a rolling boil. Add pepper, garlic and bullion to taste and turn off the heat just before you add in the eggs. Whip eggs together in a bowl. Drizzle VERY slowly while stirring in one direction for silken egg threads.

The carb count question...

People often ask for carb counts on my recipes. The problem with the carb counts is that people often use different ingredients and freely make substitutions. Another issue is serving size. What I would consider a serving might be 1/2 serving to one person and 2 servings to another. To get the best, most accurate carb count, enter the items used to create your version of a recipe in to www.fitday.com or www.thedailyplate.com. These free services allow you to properly calculate calories, protein and fat content in your foods and account for any alterations or substitutions.

How fresh is your food?

Since going low carb, a lot of the food I eat is fresh, local and requires little (if any) processing. As part of my movement to fresh foods, over the years my visits to farmer's markets has increased, I have planted my own herbs, I have some fruit trees and even my own grape vines. Last year I got together with some friends and we started our own community garden. It is only natural that I have taken the next step.

What is the next step? I purchased ducks so I can start getting my own fresh eggs. Sure, I could have gone with chickens, but my uncle raised ducks and geese, and I was just more familiar with them. The back yard poultry movement isn't something I expected to be a part of, yet here I am. I even found a great forum with very knowledgeable people to pester with lots of questions. www.backyardchickens.com

I have taken the plunge and adopted some adult birds. Once the days get longer the females should start laying and I will have my own fresh, delicious eggs from my new family members. Here is the flock...

The drake (Khaki Campbell light brown duck with dark green head) is named Jack. The Dark Khaki Campbell female is Janet. The Fawn Indian Runner is Chrissy, and the Buff duck is Lana. Chrissy and Janet should lay about an egg a day once they get started. Lana is a seasonal layer and will only lay Spring through Fall. She can still produce over 200 eggs a year. Three egg producing ducks might just be enough to keep up with my families consumption.

My latest Examiner post tells the story of another low carber that has taken the plunge in to poultry ownership. Stop by and check it out....
Fresh Food Takes a New Turn

Happy New Year!

Hi everyone! Hopefully you are all having a good start to the new year. I just wrote an Examiner article listing some predictions I have for 2009. If you get a chance, stop by and check it out. Be sure to let me know if you think I am on to something :D

Predictions for 2009